of a news conference at johns hopkins university. that is live now on c-span2 that has been underway for about an hour. we will try to go to carl in vegas, nevada. the house is about to come in. make it quick. caller: i want to talk about gun control. they do not need a gun that they can shoot and kill someone from 5 miles away. it does not help them. they do not need to go out and hunt with a game -- a gun like that. they keep it for one reason only -- so they can protect themselves against the government. that's what it's all about. host: "the new york times" editorial today weighing in saying the white house has a

rare chance to propose and pushed through an agenda for public safety. the assault weapon ban should be renewed and tightened with a special emphasis on those that hold more than 10 rounds. offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. god of the universe, we give us thanks for giving us another day. the people's house gathers today and celebrates in its gathering the wonder of our constitutional form of government.

our nation has once again achieved something so often lacking in our world history, the peaceful transition of democratic government. the major change of party in control did not take place, it is still the american experience that our streets are peaceful and winners and losers of elections move on with their lives of dignity. we thank you again for the inspiration of our nation's founders and the legacy they left us with. may the members of this assembly and all americans be worthy of that legacy. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved.

the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from michigan, mr. walberg. mr. walberg: please join together in the pledge. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain one-minute speeches at a later time today. pursuant to section 5-a of house resolution 5, the chair now recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, for the reading of the constitution. mr. goodlatte: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, this morning for only the second time in the history of the house of representatives, we will read allowed the full text of the constitution of the united

states. we hope this reading will inspire many more americans to read the constitution. we also hope that this reading will help demonstrate to the american people that the house of representatives is dedicated to the constitution and the system it establishes for limited government and the protection of individual liberty. the text we are reading today reflects the changes to the document made by the 27 amendments to it. those portions superseded by amendment will not be read. in order to ensure fairness to all those interested in participating, we have asked members to line up to be recognized on a first come first serve basis. i will recognize members based on this guidance. each member will approach the podium and read the passage laid out for him or her. in order to ensure relative parody and fairness, i may recognize members out of order to ensure bipartisanship and balance. additionally, because of his long-term leadership on civil rights issues, i will recognize congressman john lewis of

georgia out of order to read the 13th amendment. i thank the members of both parties in advance for their participation in this historic event and i will begin this historic reading by reading the preamble to the constitution. we the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the united states of america. it's now my pleasure to recognize the gentleman from illinois mr. enyart.

mr. enyart: article 1, section 1, all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the united states, which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from michigan, mr. walberg. mr. walberg:section 2, the house of representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from california, mr.

lamalfa. mr. lamalfa:no person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to the age of 25 years and been seven years a citizen of the united states, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen. the actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the congress of the united states and within every subsequent term of 10 years in each manner by law they direct. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from illinois, mr. lipinski. mr. lipinski: the number of representatives shall not exceed one for every 30,000,

but each state shall have at least one representative, and until such enumeration shall be made, the state of new hampshire shall be entitled to choose three, massachusetts eight, rhode island and providence plantations one, connecticut five, new york six, new jersey four, pennsylvania eight, delaware one, maryland six, virginia 10, north carolina five, south carolina five, and georgia three. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from arizona, mr. barber. mr. barber:when vacancies happen in the representation from any state, the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. the house of representatives

shall choose their speaker and other officers, and shall have the sole power of impeachment. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from florida, mr. desantis. mr. desantis: section 3, the senate of the united states shall be composed of two senators from each state for six years and each senator shall have one vote. immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from virginia, the majority leader, mr. cantor. mr. cantor:the seats of the

senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year, of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year, and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year, so that one third may be chosen every second year. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from minnesota, mr. walz. mr. walz: no person shall be a senator who shall not have attained the age of 30 years and been nine years a citizen of the united states. and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks.

mr. franks: the vice president of the united states shall be president of the senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided. the senate shall choose their other officers, and also a president pro tempore, in the absence of the vice president, or when he shall exercise the office of president of the united states. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the minority whip, the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer. mr. hoyer: the senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. when sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. when the president of the united states is tried, the chief justice shall preside, and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of 2/3 of the members present.

mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from south carolina, mr. duncan. mr. duncan: judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the united states, but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment, according to law. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from california,.

>> the times, places and manner for holding elections for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof, but the congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of choosing senators. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from georgia, mr. collins. mr. collins: section 5, each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner, and under such penalties as each house may provide.

mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from american samoa, mr. faleomavaega. mr. faleomavaega: each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and with the concurrence of 2/3, expel a member. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from colorado, mr. lamborn. mr. lamborn: each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy, and the yeas and nays of the members of either house on any question shall, at the desire

of 1/5 of those present, be entered on the journal. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from new york, mr. maffei. mr. maffei: neither house during the session of congress shall without the consent of the other adjourn for more than he three days nor to any place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from virginia, mr. vala dayo. mr. valakao: section , the senators and representatives shall receive a compensation for their services to be aconcerned by law, and paid out of the treasury of the united states. they shall in all cases except

treason, felony, and breach of the peace be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective houses. and in going to and returning from the same and for any speech or debate in either house they shall not be questioned in any other place. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. holt. mr. holt:no senator or representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the united states, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time, and no person holding any office under the united states, shall be a member of either house during his continuance in office. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to

the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. foxx. ms. foxx:all bills for raising revenue shall originate in the house of representatives, but the senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills. every bill which shall have passed the house of representatives and the senate, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the president of the united states. if he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his objections to that house in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it.

mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. conaway. mr. conaway:if after such reconsideration two thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that house, it shall become a law. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentlewoman from washington is ms. dell bene. ms. dell bene:but in all such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each house respectively.

mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett. mr. garrett:if any bill shall not be returned by the president within ten days -- sundays excepted -- after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentlewoman from massachusetts, ms. tsongas. ms. tsongas:every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the senate and house of representatives may be necessary, except on a question of adjournment, shall be presented to the president of the united states, and before

the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be re-passed by two thirds of the senate and house of representatives, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from south carolina, mr. wilson. mr. wilson:section 8 the congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the united states, but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout the united states, mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: to borrow money on

the credit of the united states, to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the indian tribes, to establish an uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the united states, mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from florida, mr. nugent. mr. nugent:to coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures, to provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the united states, to establish post offices and post roads, to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries,

mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from california, mr. bera. mr. bera:to constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme court, to define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, to declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water, to raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years, mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from virginia, mr. griffith. mr. griffith:to provide and maintain a navy, to make rules for the government

and regulation of the land and naval forces, to provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions, to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the united states, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by congress, mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentlewoman from california, ms. lee. ms. lee: to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such district, not exceeding 10 miles square, as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of

congress, become the seat of the government of the united states, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings, and to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this constitution in the government of the united states, or in any department or officer thereof. mr. good lat: i now yield -- mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from michigan, mr. huizenga. mr. huizenga:section 9 the migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the congress prior

to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding $10.00 for each person. the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. no bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from california, mr. takano. mr. takano:no capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken. no tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.

no preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another, nor shall vessels bound to, or from, one state, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from florida, mr. yoho. mr. yoho:no money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law, and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time. no title of nobility shall be granted by the united states, and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of

the congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state. mr. goodlatte: i now yield to the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis. mr. davis:section 10 no state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation, grant letters of marque and reprisal, coin money, emit bills of credit, make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts, pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.

no state shall, without the consent of the congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws, and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the united states, and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the congress. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from north dakota, mr. cramer. mr. cramer:no state shall, without the consent of congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace,

enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay. article ii section 1 the executive power shall be vested in a president of the united states of america. he shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the vice president, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows -- mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. veesy. mr. veasey:each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to which the state may be entitled in the

congress, but no senator or representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the united states, shall be appointed an elector. the congress may determine the time of choosing the electors and the day on which they shall give their vote, which day shall be the same throughout the united states. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from colorado, mr. tipton. mr. tipton: no person except a natural born citizen or a citizen of the united states at the time of the adoption of this constitution shall be eligible to the office of president. neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of 35 years and been 14 years a

resident within the united states. the president shall at stated times receive for his services compensation which shall neither be increased or diminished during the period for which he is elected and shall not receive any other money. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. o'rourke. mr. o'rourke: he shall take the following oath or affirmation. i do solemnly swear or affirm that i will faithfully execute the office of the president of the united states and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. section 2, the president shall be commander in chief of the

army and navy of the united states and of the militia of the several states when called into actual service of the united states. he may require the opinion in writing of the principal officer in each of the executive departments upon any subject relating to the duties of the respective offices and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the united states except in cases of impeachment. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from arizona, mr. gosar. mr. gosar:he shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, to make treaties, provide 2/3 of the senators present concur, and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges

of the supreme court and all other officers of the united states whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for and which shall be established by law. but the congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers as they think proper in the president alone, in the courts of law or in the heads of departments. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from california, mr. huffman. mr. huffman: the president shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session. section 3, he shall from time to time give to the congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. he may, on extraordinary

occasions, convene both houses or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from alabama, mr. rogers. mr. rogers: he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers, he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed and shall commission all the officers of the united states. the president, vice president and all civil officers of the united states shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. the judicial power of the united states shall be vested in one supreme court, and in such inferior courts as the congress may from time to time ordain and establish. the judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold

their offices during good behavior and shall, at stated times, receive for their services a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentlewoman from california, the minority leader, ms. pelosi. ms. pelosi: the judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this constitution, the laws of the united states and treaties made or which shall be made under their authority. to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, to controversies to which the united states shall be a

party, to controversies between two or more states, between citizens of a different state, between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects. in all cases affecting ambassadors and other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a state shall be party, the supreme court shall have original jurisdiction. in all the other cases before mentioned, the supreme court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the congress shall make. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. flores. mr. flores: the trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall

be by jury, and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall have been committed, but when not committed within any state, the trial shall be at such place or places as the congress may by law have directed. section 3, treason against the united states, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. no person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act or on confession in open court. the congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. swalwell.

sorry. the gentleman from california, mr. swalwell. mr. swalwell: article 4, section 1, full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. and the congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof. section 2, the citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states. a person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another state, shall on demand of the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from ohio, mr. gibbs. mr. gibbs: new states shall be

admitted into this union but no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state, nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, without the consent of the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of the congress. the congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the united states, and nothing in this constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of the united states, or of any particular state. section 4, the united states shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government and shall protect each of them against invasion, and on application of the legislative or of the executive, when the legislature cannot be convened, against domestic violence.

mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from illinois, mr. hultgren. mr. hultgren: article 5. the congress, whenever 2/3 of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this constitution, or on the application of the legislatures of 2/3 of the several states shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of 3/4 of the several states or by convention in 3/4 thereof as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the congress, provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year 1808 shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article,

and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the senate. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from georgia, mr. scott. mr. scott: article 6. all debts contracted and engagements entered into, before the adoption of this constitution shall be as valid against the united states under this constitution, as under the confederation. this constitution and the laws of the united states which shall be made in pursuance thereof and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the united states, shall be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby. anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding. the senators and representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the united states and of the several

states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this constitution, but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the united states. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. holding. mr. holding: article 7. the ratification of the conventions of nine states, shall be sufficient for the establishment of this constitution between the states so ratifying the same. the unanimous consent of the states present the 17th day of september in the year of our lord of 1787 and of the independence of the united

states of america the 12th in witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names, george washington, president and deputy from virginia, delaware -- george read, gunning bedford, jr., john dickinson, richard bassett, jacob broom maryland - james mchenry, daniel of st. thomas jenifer, daniel carroll virginia -- john blair, james madison, jr. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from iowa, mr. king. mr. king: north carolina -- william blount, richard dobbs spaight, hugh williamson . south carolina -- john rutledge, charles cotesworth pinckney, charles

pinckney, pierce butler georgia -- william few, abraham baldwin new hampshire -- john langdon, nicholas gilman massachusetts -- nathaniel gorham, rufus king. from connecticut --, william samuel johnson, roger sherman. new york -- alexander hamilton . new jersey -- will livingston, david brearley, william paterson, jonathan dayton. pennsylvania -- benjamin franklin, thomas mifflin, robert morris, george clymer, thomas fitzsimons, jared ingersoll, james wilson, governor morris. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from kansas, mr. yoder. mr. yoder: amendment 1, congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of

the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government to redress of grievances. amendment 2, a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. amendment 3, no soldier shall in time of peace be quartered at any house without the consent of the owner nor in time of war but in a manner to be prescribed by law. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from kentucky, mr. barr. mr. barr:amendment iv the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported

by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. amendment v no person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger, nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb, nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. meadows. mr. meadows: amendment vi in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentlewoman from kentucky, mrs.

he at this. mrs. esty:amendment vii in suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the united states, than according to the rules of the common law. mr. good clat: i yield to the gentleman from new mexico, mr. pearce. mr. pearce:amendment viii excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. amendment ix the enumeration in the constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by

the people. amendment x the powers not delegated to the united states by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from virginia, mr. hurt. mr. hurt: amendment xi the judicial power of the united states shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the united states by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state. amendment xii the electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for president and vice-president, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state

with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as vice-president, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as president, and of all persons voted for as vice-president, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the united states, directed to the president of the senate. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. perry. mr. perry:the president of the senate shall, in the presence of the senate and house of representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted. the person having the greatest number of votes for president, shall be the president, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the

persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as president, the house of representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the president. but in choosing the president, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote. a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. pit inker -- pittinger. million pittinger: the person having the greatest number of votes as vice president shall be the vice president. and suchp member be the majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the

senate shall choose the vice president. a quorum for the purpose will consist of two members of the whole the majority of senators and majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice, but no person actually eligible to the office of president shall be eligible to that of vice president of the united states. mr. goodlatte: my pleasure yield to the gentleman from georgia, mr. lewis. mr. lewis: the 13th amendment. neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the united states, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from arkansas, mr. womack. mr. womack:amendment xiv section 1 all persons born or naturalized in the united states, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the united states and of the state wherein they reside. no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the united states; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of

law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. section 2 representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding indians not taxed. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly. mr. connolly: section 3, no person shall be a senator or representative in congress or elector of president and vice president or hold any office, civil or military, under the united states or under any state who having previously taken an

oath as a member of congress or as an officer of the united states. but when the right to vote at eelection for choice of electors of president and vice president of the united states, representatives in congress, the executive, and judicial offices of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state being 21 years of age and citizens of the united states, or in any way abridged except for participation in rebellion or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced to the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens 21 years of age in such state. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from florida, mr. ross. mr. ross: or as a member of any state legislature or as an judicial officer of any state to

support of constitution of the united states shall have engaged in insurrection erebellion against the same or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof congress may by a vote of 2/3 of each house remove such disability. section 4, the validity of public debt of the united states authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion shall not be questioned. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from california, mr. denham. mr. denham:but neither the united states nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the united states, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave, but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void.

section 5 the congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. amendment xv section 1 the right of citizens of the united states to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the united states or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. mr. goodlatte: it's now my pleasure to yield to the majority whip, the gentleman from california, mr. mccarthy. mr. mccarthy:section 2 the congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. amendment xvi the congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

amendment xvii the senate of the united states shall be composed of two senators from each state, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each senator shall have one vote. the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislatures. when vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the senate, the executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. langston. mr. langston: provided the legislature of any state my may provide the executive there of to make appointments until people fill the vacancies. this amendment shall not be so

construed as to affect the election or term of any senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the constitution. the right of the citizens of the united states to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the united states or by any state on account of sex. congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from tennessee, mr. fleischmann. mr. fleischmann: amount 20, section 1. the terms of the president and the vice president shall end at noon on the 20th day of january and the terms of senators and representatives at noon on the third day of january of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had

not been ratified. and the terms of their successors shall then begin. section 2, the congress shall assemble at least once in every year and such meeting shall begin at noon on the third day of january unless they shall by law appoint a different day. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen. ms. ros-lehtinen: section 3, if, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the president, the president-elect shall have died, the vice president-elect shall become president. if a president shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the president-elect shall have failed to qualify, then the vice president-elect

shall shall act as president until a president shall have qualified, and the congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a president elect nor a vice president shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as president, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a president or vice president shall have qualified. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentlewoman from indiana, mrs. brooks. mrs. brooks: section 4, the congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the house of representatives may choose a president whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the senate may choose a vice president whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them. section 5, sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of october following the

ratification of this article. section 6, this article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the constitution by the legislatures of 3/4 of several states within seven years from the date of its submission. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from alabama, mr. bonner. mr. bonner: amendment 21, section 1, the 18th article of the amendment of the constitution of the united states is hereby repealed. section 2, the transportation or importation into any state, territory or possession of the united states for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited. section 3, this article shall be

inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the constitution by conventions in the several states, as provided in the constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the states by the congress. mr. goodlatte: i am pleased to yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert. mr. gohmert: amendment 22, section 1, no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president or acted as president more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of president more than once. but this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of president when this article was proposed by congress and shall not prevent

any person who may be holding the office of president or acting as president during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of president or acting as president during the remainder of such term. section 2, this article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the constitution by the legislatures of 3/4 of the several states within seven years from the date of its submission to the states by the congress. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from kansas, mr. huelskamp. mr. huelskamp: amendment 23, section 1, the district constituting the seat of government of the united states shall appoint in such manner as congress may direct, a number of electors of

president and vice president equal to the whole number of senators and representatives in congress to which the district would be entitled if it were a state, but in no event more than the least populous state. they shall be in addition to those appointed by the states, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of president and vice president, to be electors appointed by a state, and they shall meet in the district and perform such duties as provided by the 12th article of amendment. section 2, the congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from nebraska, mr. fortenberry. mr. fortenberry: amendment 24 of the constitution. section 1, the right of

citizens of the united states to vote in any primary or other election for president or vice president, for electors for president or vice president, or for senator or representative in congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the united states or any state by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax. section 2, the congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. amendment 25 of the constitution. section 1, in case of the removal of the president from office or of his death or resignation, the vice president shall become president. section 2, whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the vice president, the president shall nominate a vice president who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both houses of congress. section 3, whenever the president transmits to the president pro tempore of the senate and the

speaker of the house of representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the vice president as acting president. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from maryland, mr. delaney. mr. delaney. section -- mr. delaney: section 4, whenever the vice president and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as congress may by law provide, transmit to the

president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives their written declaration that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the vice president shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as acting president. thereafter, when the president transmits to the president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the vice president and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives their written declaration that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. thereupon congress shall decide the issue, assembling within 48 hours for that purpose if not in session.

mr. goodlatte: i yield to mr. salmon. mr. salmon: 48 hours for that purpose if not in session. if the congress, within 21 days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if congress is not in session, within 21 days after congress is required to assemble, determines by 2/3 vote of both houses that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the vice president shall continue to discharge the same as acting president. otherwise, the president shall resume the powers and duties of his office. amendment 26, section 1, the right of citizens of the united states who are 18 years of age or older to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the united states or by any state on account of age. section 2, the congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis. mr. davis: thank you, madam speaker. no law -- this is the 27th amendment. no law varying the compensation for the services of the senators and representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened. mr. goodlatte: and that concludes the reading of the united states constitution. i want to thank the gentleman who arrived and were available but we ran out of constitution before we ran out of readers and i want to thank all the readers and members who participated in this important reading. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess

>> until then, a conversation this morning with representative scott rigell.

host: we have been talking about this news conference that the president held yesterday. i want to show you a little bit of what he had to say and get your reaction. >> congressional republicans refuse to pay america + bills on times, and social security, veterans' benefits will be delayed. we may not be able to honor contracts with small business owners. could inspectors, air traffic controllers will not get their paychecks. investors around the world will ask if the united states of america is in fact a safe bet. markets could go haywire, interest rates will spike for everybody who borrows money, every homeowner with a warm ridge, every student with a student loan, every business that wants to hire.

host: your reaction? guest: thank you for having me. even now as a businessman who is in public service, i have 160 employees in northern virginia. this is not theoretical to me. we have a serious economic problem with spending and revenues. it threatens the foundations of our republic. and when the president says we cannot negotiate that, that is not the right position, and i know however many minutes we have here, we will talk about spending reductions that have got to happen. revenues must come up a bit. the president said -- i have not

seen the balanced approach he is talking about. i sought this office because we are at risk because of our fiscal trajectory. it really threatens every american, whether they are republican, democrat, independent, and i ran on a platform of we have a spending problem not a revenue problem. if you had me on the show back then, i would have said that and believed in it. after i got into office and heard my democratic friends make a case from the floor so many times that revenues were not high enough, i thought me prove or disprove this. this took me on a journey of evaluating a budget and looking at historical data and it led me to this conclusion.

we have a revenue yield of 16.9%. we have not run our republican on that level of revenue since 1959. i knew we had a revenue problem, andi was advocating the last couple months very strongly to my republican colleagues that having increases in revenue was not only not capitulation, it was a mathematical and conser was out there going to help us with the spending side. he said we need a balanced approach. i support that. so when me and saw the bill that came before us on the years day, not only did not have any spending reductions, it actually elevated spending. that's why i voted against it. i am deeply disappointed in our president. it is not partisan.

he's my president. as a republican. he has had over four years and there's no leadership with respect to reducing federal spending. host: should the united states? default guest: absolutely not. no. the consequence of that that it, for our economy cannot be overstated. the sovereign debt of the united states, for it to be questions that we would pay our bills or not, is not a scenario that we want to go through as a country. that would really harm us. that said, as i was coming back on the train from new york, i shared this with those with me. i said you're going down this track at 130 miles an hour. what would cause the conductor, knowing that if he veers off on this next rail to the right and pulled the switch that would cause that to happen, even if he

knew it would put the train at severe risk by veering off to the right, what would be the only reason a person would go off that course rather than go straight? and the reason is that there's a larger cavern, kind of a grand canyon that we are about to go off. here's what i have concluded as a businessman and a seasoned public servant. the music will stop at some point with respect to where we are. when we are pouring $1 trillion a year, 40 cents on the dollar, you cannot do that into perpetuity. the time for leadership is right now. the time to address this is right now. i don't like being in this position of either. negotiating the either. i think what we need to do as republicans, we're going to williamsburg, as you know. if what we need to do is put forth what we stand for and to pass what we believe in and bring that to the american people.

and it needs to be credible, it needs to be logical, it needs to substantively address spending. host: in your opinion, what should happen? where do you picked a fight, over the debt ceiling or later on over the continuing resolution to? finance to? -- or the continuing resolution to finance the government? guest: i've only been here two years. i truly believe that when i ran and even more so now, we are a nation at risk. every american, regardless of political affiliation. so we have to reduce federal spending. this is the time right now. some of my colleagues were saying let's get through the

fiscal cliff and the real fight is the continuing resolution or the real fight is the debt limit. i hear that and it goes on. host: where do you insist on spending cuts? is that the debt ceiling or the continuing resolution? guest: it is that every point. host: all of the above? guest: yes. when the president says he wants a balanced approach, i believe him. i was looking for the simpson- bowles model, fighting for least 2 to 1. i was hoping for 1 to 1. i was disappointed and deeply surprised we did not get that in this fiscal cliff. here i was as a republican, so often introduced on tv shows and news shows, "coming up, a republican who says we need higher revenues." an interesting way to introduce me, but my position is more

nuanced than that, although i think we do need to get. host: new revenue includes four deductions and loopholes, but the president mentioned yesterday. is that still on the table? guest: it is for me. i thought that was the way to go from the beginning. eliminate loopholes and a lobbyist-britain loopholes. i also thought capping deductions, just knowing the nature of man, how we are motivated, that being able to keep an extra incremental dollar bill does motivate an entrepreneur or to put limited capital at risk. so i thought that was a better way to go. host: let's hear from danny in alabama, democratic caller. caller: thanks for accepting my call. i agree with you on some parts of what you are saying. i agree with you on some parts of what you are saying. but the time to negotiate a

debt is before you make it and not afterwards. all we can do now is pay the bill and sit down and negotiate some spending cuts, which the president said he's willing to compromise on some of things. you know what is driving the economy right now is some of the government's spending. if you start cutting too deep, all you will do is go back into recession. host: let's take that. guest: i'm glad you agree with some of the things. i believe there's common ground with democrats and republicans if we remember that we are always americans first and foremost, we will get through this. i've been making a lot of personal efforts to reach out and get to know my democratic colleagues. this is so important. it is really uncommon in washington how little interaction and there is between members of the two

parties. as i made clear earlier, i really think the time is now. it was the time i first got into office, i have been calling for expenses to come down. i'm proud of our republican party for putting forth the house republican budget. we have a definitive plan. danny, here's what i will share with you as a republican and i think you are democrats. i can put down on this table right here a definitive plan, one that you can evaluate that reduces federal spending. as we go to the president and majority leader of the senate and minority leader in the house, i truly don't know of a similar know-- the president had a press conference under couple months ago and in that press conference he basically said that we need to begin to take a look at how we are reforming entitlements. i thought that was a stunning statement from the president after having been in office four years. i need leadership from our

president on reducing spending. host: phil is on the line in louisiana. need leadership from our president on reducing spending. host: phil is on the line and louisiana. caller: maybe we need to look at citizens abusing medicaid. i have seen people on medicaid over and over who don't need medicaid. they are basically stealing. i have seen many people like you in office. and i'm from washington, d.c., originally. and i was in the military and number of years. i have seen a lot of politicians that are so crowded and all they do is line their pockets to become rich. i'm tired of all these people stealing from the government. we should start looking at some of these people. we both supported the president and put him in office and should support him. guest: thank you for your

service. my father was and it would jima marine, still doing great at 90 years old. -- iwo jima. i learned the principle of leadership by example at paris island. i returned over $52,000 to the bureau of public debt just the other day, i wrote a check for that, to give back a portion of my salary. i declined of all federal benefits, self-imposed term limits. i will not meet with a member of congress was a lobbyist. i think that's the right thing to do. i think you said we need to just get behind the president. where we can support the president, we do. it is very important for me to go where the facts lead us. when i hear my colleagues say we have cut the defense budget, i really don't hold that view.

i respect their view, but i don't agree with it. defense spending even now under the president has gone up albeit by a small amount. i'm not an i do try to go were the facts lead me. the president has not led with respect to reduce federal spending or how we reduce the growth in federal spending. in our plan, spending goes up a bit. we can find efficiencies within the department of defense. that can be done. we should address sequestration. i take at face value what the chairman of the joint chiefs has said.

this will harm our readiness and the jolt the economy as well. host: this question from john. the president tied those things together. guest: i wish that were entirely true. we have borrowed from the trust fund. the relationship is so complex. the basic point is that they are linked. just stop and get to the debt limit and do not raise it. let's walk through that. we're saying we will balance

the federal budget in a day. the next morning, what are we going to pay? should we pay the troops? what about those receiving medicare? what about social security? you can go down the line. t to not a good scenario -- it is not a good scenario. host: how do think this plays out? guest: it is going to be rough. there is not one person who knows how it is going to play out. i think we need to put forward what we believe in and give the american people a credible alternative.

what is compelling is something that is reasonable. i meet with democrats and they want federal spending to be reduced smartly and wisely. host: would you agree to raise the debt ceiling short-term? guest: i think that is say mathematical imperative. am i open to raising the debt ceiling? i am. we got into this wilderness over a long period of time. my deep duty to the second rational district of virginia -- we have the highest concentration of men and women in uniform. we've got to make the decisions

now. host: art in florida. caller: good morning. if you could give me a few minutes of your time. i am 47 years old and i depend on disability. heart.ta weak i have a pacemaker. my aorta has been replaced with a wire mesh tube. i have been trying to find part- time work so i can be a productive member of society. i keep hearing you want to cut medicare and trim social security and everything. these are programs i need to survive on.

guest: i'm sorry about your medical situation. is there that medicaid and for you. i believe there is it proper role for medicaid and medicare and social security. what we have been proposing is to strengthen those programs to make sure they are there for you. right now we know that absent any reforms, we are getting to the point that we will go bankrupt as a country. this is just as true as that the sun is going to rise. this is a critical time in our country. we have to make some changes to

protect people like you. some changes have to be made. host: susan is next in texas. caller: good morning. ut me off.'t come why don't they look for the fraud and abuse? work on the first. it is not it will lead soldiers that are getting the money. it has been the military industrial complex. as far as congress, look at the loopholes. you never think about that. if you do not know history, it is going to repeat itself. guest: there is a lot there.

i think there is validity to a congressional benefits. i have led it in changing that. the lead by example act. i believe strongly that you articulated in the policy. 403 (b) proourth three gram. you can receive that provided we reduced the federal deficit even by a dollar. we are not going to get out of this overnight. this would allow us to keep reducing the deficits. we have a shared value in

eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. we are intent on that. host: how much of the budget does waste, fraud, and abuse make up? guest: i could go back to virginia beach, virginia, and we could identify waste every day. we will never eliminate it entirely. we can do a better job. it will take reforms. we are living longer and we have fewer people paying in. i want to protect those who are hurting the most, like art, who called in earlier. host: lester is a republican.

caller: good morning. disability, 63 years old. my wife still works. $45,000 a less taw less than year. somehow someone is going to have to do something about this. guest: i agree completely. i believe it is immoral for one generation to pass on debt that dims their future. those who have served our country -- i am mindful of the price paid by our goldstar families.

we're failing the young people. i am with you. i was over it. i believe when americans are given good information, they will make good decisions. i made it clear to my district that revenue has to come up as part of a comprehensive plan. i was told not to said that before the election. they said, can you wait until the last date before someone can file a primary challenge. i said, no. they sent me back to have this privilege to serve. revenue has to come up.

expenses have to come down. ost: you did not re-sign the grover norquist pledge. guest: i don't think the pledge is good for our nation. i respect those with whom i disagree with then my conference and across the aisle. i am a data-driven person. i do not think the data supports this. it was lower than the overall level of spending we agreed to spend as republicans. that is what i call a structural defect in our platform. host: i want to give you a chance to talk specifics.

we have a tweet. guest: sure. i am proud of our conference and on that point in particular. we grabbed the third rail of politics. i was waiting for my democratic friends to join us. i believe we're all americans and we will make the right decisions. we put out the ryan plan. it takes 24 years to balance the budget. there is not a democratic alternative that i know of. i hope this deeply resonates and sinks and with the american

people. we have put particular is down as republicans. host: so the specifics are in the paul ryan plan? guest: they are. host: jeff is in florida. caller: hi. good morning, america. i look at problems and a simple level. use it the solutions solve more than one problem. when we have 45 million lost jobs, the budget goes up. when we have 3% unemployment, your budget goes down. the american people do not know

they could add to their everyday life simple things and each time america works together as a team, they can knock off one day of that $4 billion a day that we're spending. everybody hang a sign -- "turn off hot water heater." "turned on hot water heater" in the morning. that will save every american family $30 a month. guest: that is common sense. i like common sense. part of what we get out of this is to grow our economy. we are americans. putting capital at risk and

finding new ways to create goods and services that people wante. i introduced the mid-atlantic jobs act 2012. it opens up coastal virginia energy for energy exploration and harvesting. it would create 18,000 jobs. we're blessed with an abundance of natural resources in our country. we create tremendous employment and opportunity for inner-city kids that are hurting so badly. i and intent on the full fabric of our community crossing the finish line. that means great schools and good roads.

there is one thing standing in the way of us moving forward with coastal virginia energy and that is the obama administration with secretary salazar. we need to diversify our local economy in virginia. i hope we can work with both of our senators to get this done. host: we are talking with representative scott rigell. this is a headline in "the washington post." she talks about a new freshman class of republicans and your class as well that had been a headache for the speaker. there will be a test on tuesday.

where do you come down on this? guest: i think we have been good for the speaker. i am not dodging the questione. everybody needs to shoot straight. i do not know how i will vote on the particular bill. it has only come out in the last day or so. we have not anticipated and planned for these type of natural disasters. you would think we would have budgeted enough. either we're not done a good estimates or we are spending far more than we should. i will be evaluating that.

i know there will be some amendments. there are some things that i don't think most americans would not funded. therein lies the challenge. every bill we vote on on typically has some things that are good and some that are not. host: what have you been told the debate will start? guest: today. host: do you know what time? t it.: i have glanced ad the real votes, and around 7:00 p.m. ris in alabama has this question for you. guest: hmm.

well, the primary function of the government is keeping our people safe. it is a dangerous world. there are people that do not share our values and it would do everything they could to arm our people. now, there is waste, fraud, and abuse in the department of defense is a certainty. i know there are budgetary problems and accounting problems. i am fighting every day to eliminate that. i think we need to narrow the scope of the military. meet -- i swam

upstream to my conference on that. i think we should extricate ourselves from afghanistan sooner than most. at.votes reflect th i am not an isolationist. i think we need to eliminate overseas bases where possible. continue to look for savings. even if we can defense savings at the level it is right now, retirement costs and health care cost within the budget are going to put compression on everything else. host: it appears lawmakers in afghanistan disagree with the

idea of getting troops out of afghanistan earlier. this is the headline from "the washington times." guest: i believe our mission in afghanistan has been accomplished. i am proud of our forces. so many come from virginia's second congressional district. yemen, aattacked in horrific attack, does it follow we invade the country and tried to secure every linear foot of their border and thing that we're going to change an ancient people with ancient traditions?

it does not, in my view. that is really what happened in afghanistan. the good men and women who served and those who came out that were met at dover, i honor and respect their sacrifice. it was not without purpose. i don't think we need to continue to afghanistan. host: bobby is up next. caller: the house of representatives and the senate -- you guys are the ones that spend the money. the president signs the bill or vetoes it. also, raising the debt now is

for mike the you guys have already spend. guest: you are factually accurate. any revenue bill needs to come from the house of representatives. spending can come from the house or senate and we work to that process. that's not what is occurring appear. iff,e go from cliff to cle it goes from one crisis to another. we're unable at present to agree on common ground that would meet the obligations that we have to art to make sure we secure and strengthen medicare, medicaid, and social security.

this has got to be done. i believe the way out of this is direct engagement between members of congress at the grassroots law of all. we can make a difference and advance ideas and proposals that in some ways it might even give our leadership some cover, a reason to be more flexible and advancing common ground solutions. host: william in alabama. hi, william. are you there? go ahead. caller: i have a comment to make. we spend six times more money on the military than any other country. to say that we could cut support

overseas, our troops and stuff like that, that's not the way to go. we need to cut our military. we are more advanced now than we have ever been. you fight with what you have. we have so much technology. it is unreal to spend all this money on the military and to say by cutting the military we can take that money and do our infrastructure with that. guest: i respectfully disagree with the overall analysis there. i think the alternatives and ideas i have presented with respect to the military are valid.

they really would help us. i'm not saying we should focus on medicare and medicaid and social security reforms to the exclusion of looking at the military. this is in a sound bite type of argument we are having. i think everything has to be on the table. i represent the congressional district that has the highest concentration of menan and women in the country in uniform as well as defense contractors. that could be considered a controversial position. is essentialing and needed and must be done. this is what has to be done.

reform of the military. that is part of it. reducing overseas bases has to be part of it. host: jean in new york. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. 75 years spending with the pentagon. i agree 100% with the previous caller. how much of your small business is involved with government contracts? guest: zero. i am a ford dealer. i have another franchise as well. i don't think we're selling

anything to the government. we may be. i do not know. it is negligible. if the implication is i am unwilling to cut something that would hurt my business, i will do whatever is necessary to set this country on sound financial footing. we cannot stay on this path. there is a day of reckoning with the amount of debt we have taken on. i will work with senator reid and my democratic colleagues in the house to advance a solution to arrest this trajectory that we are on. host: tim kaine wrote a piece today in "the washington post,

" "common ground on guns." what is your position? guest: i congratulate him on his victory and a look forward to working with him. i am a lifetime member of the nra. i hunt and i enjoy the sport. at the end of the day, this is not about hunting. americans have the right for private gun ownership. i believe in that and i will defend that. i'm a grandparent as well. we have to evaluate to put

herself in the position of those who have suffered the greatest loss in connecticut and work through it that way. i have deep concern about the government tracking private ownership of guns. the idea of a person who is mentally ill -- restricting the ability of a person who is mentally ill of getting a gun, i am wide open to that. i want to know how that's going to work. i am in a deliberately staged of looking to see what works. i'm not interested in

legislation that gives the appearance that we are doing something. host: are you open to a ban on assault weapons? guest: i cannot see how that will help us. i was in the marine corps for six years. look at the bushmaster, those type of guns. the mechanism is similar to what you might find in other guns. if you're given a beautiful gun and would beautiful wood stock, that is a family heirloom. it can also be put in black plastic. some of it is functionality.

host: tim is in california. caller: good morning. congress wants to save money, all these riders on these various bills -- $17 million has nothing to do with the storm damage bill. look it all the bills in congress and a continues like this. we're going to give the hollywood people some extra money. we'll worry about subsidizing the wind. i think there's a lot of waste. m, you are right.

we want to make the congress open rules. we'll have a lot more amendments that cut specific areas of funding. i have heard there is some funding for some fisheries somewhere in alaska. i do not know that is true or not. i will figure that out. the underlying bill is good. i'm all for eliminating the pork. that is the process i will be going through. you are right. every time we can reduce federal spending, i vote to do that. that is what i told the second district of was going to do. host: that debate will take

place on the house floor today. keep your channel here on c-span if you're interested in that. >> the house will be gaveling in shortly for consideration of hurricane seen the bill relief. earlier, members spent the morning reading the u.s. constitution, only the second time it has been read on the floor. we have a link to an online copy of the constitution act c- span.org -- at c-span.org. you can also weigh in on your thoughts on the constitution.

the house coming in momentarily. we will have live coverage here on c-span. the senate is back next week after the presidential inauguration. president obama will officially be sworn into office in a private ceremony in the white house for his second term, this sunday, with january 20 falling on a sunday. he is sworn in on sunday, and the public inauguration on monday. the coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. eastern with a look at the president's 2009 inaugural address, followed by a discussion with a former presidential speechwriter, and you can tweak us as well drop the inauguration as well. on monday, our coverage gets under way live at 7:00 a.m. eastern with phone lines open at first. the public inaugural press were running -- inaugural

ceremonies, and the parade to follow that. coverage beginning 7:00 a.m. on monday. we will take you live to the house floor. speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? does the gentleman seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute? the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to congratulate coach kerry mcvickers for achieving his 500th victory. he's the head coach of the taylorville high school boy's basketball team, and on december 26 led my tornados to defeat the opposing team to secure his 500th win. he's been coaching for 31 years, leading teams from all across central illinois in areas like williamsville, pena and my hometown of taylorville.

mr. davis: they won nine regional championships and 13 tournament championships and to my knowledge is the only coach to have brought home the trophy from the state tournament for boys and girls teams. he's been named the illinois basketball coaches association coach of the year four times and was inducted into the illinois basketball coaches association hall of fame in 2012. kerry mcvickers is more than just a head coach. he's a dedicated husband, father and grandfather and is the rock within the taylorville community. congratulations, coach. go, tornados. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from washington is recognized for one minute. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, i come here to the floor today to speak on behalf of th regular order. i hope that this congress can

be one in which it's not first world war trench warfare where we retreat into our bunkers and lob grenades at each other but where we can come together and deal with the problems that face this nation. the first opportunity will be raising the debt limit. the president doesn't create the debt limit. we do. we authorize the president to spend that money. we put him out there and say spend it, and we must give him the ability to pay the bills that we have incurred by our action. so it shouldn't be a trench warfare issue. there are some bigger issues. those issues of the debt and how we deal with the major crises before us in health care costs. those issues can be debated in the regular order. committees can come up with bills about how we should reduce the costs, whether it be

in defense or it be in health care, but that should be developed and worked out in a regular order in the house. i -- that's my sincere hope for this congress. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, my district includes the north and west suburbs of chicago. our area is the -- has the second highest percentage of commuters in the country. mr. hultgren: many of my constituents receive employer sponsored transit benefits. last year this benefit was cut in half for public transit commuters and i fought hard throughout 2012 for that benefit to be restored. i am thankful it is now law that employers may provide up to $245 a month for their employees as a transit or van pool benefit and tax free. this is good for both employees and employers. now neither of them will be

taxed on that money and employees will be encouraged to use the public transportation options. i'm glad that congress has restored this important benefit, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, three years ago this thursday, west new york teenager, amanda, tragically passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of a defective boiler at a friend's home where she was spending the night. mr. higgins: in response to this tragedy, new york passed amanda's law. amanda's law requires carbon monoxide alarms to be put in any single family home or rentals. mr. speaker, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in this country.

there is a simple way to lower that number. installations of alarms in homes and residences. i commend the work of amanda's foundation and join them to prevent tragedies by installing detectors in their homes. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from ohio is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, today i'm here to honor and pay tribute to a dear friend of mine who's been battling cancer for the past year, dan curtis. dan is a longtime resident of dayton and a piller to the community and improved the lives of countless ohioans. a dedicated volunteer, dan has given generously of his time, spirities and financial resources to make -- expertise and financial resources to make the difference of people in his community. mr. turner: he joined the dayton community coalition and stimulated the region's economy while embracing the air force

as a member of the community and improving the lives of airmen. dan helped shepherd our community by selflessly giving of himself and his resources. he's always enjoyed working with people and assisting them in reaching their goals and in no place is that more evident than in his home. dan is a devoted husband and father and his relationships are characterized by selfless devotion, a caring nature. these traits carried over into his professional life where dan demonstrated an incredible work ethic, contributions to the community and his love of the country. his many achievements and qualities are a testament to dan. as a community, dan -- excuse me -- as a community, dayton and wright-patterson air force base are indebted to him. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from hawaii michigan seek recognition? -- the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one

minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to commemorate mearnt luther king jr. day, the day our nation honors one of the greatest civil rights heroes. mr. peters: while just one man, dr. king made an extraordinary difference in all of our lives. and while he himself was silent, his dream lives on and serves as an inspiration that one person can make a difference. mr. kildee: dr. king reminds me the strikers of the 1930's in my hometown who also stood up to the injustices that they saw. their efforts helped create the labor movement and made our country a better place, as did dr. king. mr. speaker, no matter our political differences, we can all unite on monday to fulfill dr. king's dream. this martin luther king day, let's honor the man who continues to inspire us all. thank you. i yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from-month seek recognition? mr. daines: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from montana is recognized for one minute. mr. daines: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize alexus wineman. this 18-year-old from cut bank, montana, represents my state as miss montana and she recently made history not only as the youngest participant in this year's miss america competition and the recipient of the people's choice award but as the first young woman in the competition's history to have been diagnosed with autism. alexus stands as an example for all montanans of what it means to overcome obstacles and to help those in need. she's worked to spread awareness of autism so we can help gain a better understanding of those affected by it. alexus recently said, and i quote, we cannot cure what is not a sickness, but we can begin to understand autism and help those with the condition to unlock the potential that

lies within all of us. i'm grateful for the work she's done to increase the understanding of autism and i'm very proud that she calls montana home. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from montana yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for one minute. mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, all of us know that the 112th congress was the least productive legislative sessions in our history. even as country -- it created an unprecedented level of gridlock that kept real work from getting done. as we begin the work of the 113th congress, it's critical that both democrats and republicans commit to working with their colleagues across the aisle and putting the long-term interests of our country ahead of their own short-term political goals. that's why i've decided to join a group of democrats, independents and republicans in an organization called no label as a problem solver who will

meet regularly to build trust and cooperation between members of both parties and get washington back to a place where democrats and republicans working together is the rule rather than the exception. we need leaders in congress who are serious about finding solutions to the challenges we face, both at home and abroad. i'm convinced that there is no challenge so great in a we cannot solve by working together. i urge my colleagues to join us in this effort and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from indiana is recognized for one minute. >> thank you. mr. speaker, i rise today for the first time in this chamber to urge the president and congress to get serious about addressing the out-of-control borrowing and spending that is jeopardizing the american dream for our children and grandchildren. the president has said that the debt ceiling debate is not the time to tackle washington's spending addiction and has

called for more taxes, more spending and more borrowing in return for any future spending reforms. mr. messer: yesterday, he said we can't finish the job of deficit reduction through spending cuts alone, but the last congress already raised taxes. now it's time to tackle washington's binge spending. the question is whether washington should take more than it already confiss indicates for already hardworking taxpaying americans. the answer is no. washington doesn't tax too little. it spends too much. the freshmen members of congress are holding a special order after tonight's legislative business tonight to highlight the urgency of the upcoming debt ceiling debate. i hope my colleagues will can and join this effort and explain to the american people why we owe it to our children to stop spending and borrowing and start controlling our debt. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition?

>> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. ms. lee: with a new year comes new opportunities to work together to do the work the american people sent us here to do. americans have been very clear about what the priorities of congress should be. at the forefront of these priorities is to get people back to work and to revitalize our economy. there is no doubt there's been some progress. 34 consecutive months of private sector job growth is evidence of that. however, with 12 million people, 12 million still unemployed, more must be done. if congress is serious about addressing the deficit, then we must have a plan such as make it in america agendas to create jobs. job creation leads to deficit reduction and is necessary for a full economic recovery. i'm confident that with a new year will come a renewed focus to do the work of the american

people. it is really time to put aside the dysfunction of the 112th congress and to come together to address the problems facing our nation. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor two chiefs of police from my district, both who are retiring after many years of dedicated service to the district. chief jones and chief joseph. chief jones has served in law enforcement for the past 45 years. after three decades of service, he worked his way up to become chief in 2003. mr. fitzpatrick: the chief has been loved by those who lived there. upon his retirement, he looks forward to spending time with his three daughters and seven grandchildren. chief gorea has spent 33 years and during his three decades, the force has grown from eight

officers to 18. chief gora has dealt with everything from bears to undercover narcotics investigations and even spent a brief time working for the olympics. for years joseph has not only portrayed the top line work ethic but has also displayed great pride, integrity and courage. both of these public serve ants have devoted their lives -- servants have devoted their lives to making the community a safer place to live, and i'm proud to represent them in the united states congress and i wish both jack and joseph many years of continued success. happy retirement. they will miss both their chiefs. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. ms. hahn: thank you, mr. speaker. . this 113th congress let us

seize the opportunity to start with a clean slate. we must put aside partisan politics and labels to come together for the good of the american people. our seniors, our children, our families are looking toward congress to take meaningful action on critical issues that were left unresolved in 2012. such as the fiscal cliff, the debt ceiling, our nation is looking for a path forward. i didn't come to congress to simply talk the talk. i came here to walk the walk for my constituents, for california and for this great nation. today's a new day what calls for new ideas, collaboration and real solutions for the american people. yesterday i also had the pleasure of joining nine of my congressional colleagues across the aisle at a bipartisan no-labels meeting to make america work. we addressed the partisan gridlock in congress that has slowed progress for the american people. it's high time we find compromises that will lead to real solutions to the real problems facing our nation. today i call on all my

colleagues to join -- on both sides of the aisle to join in this effort. let's make america work. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, january marks national mentoring month during which we will celebrate the martin luther king jr. national day of service, giving all americans the opportunity to answer dr. king's important question, what are you doing for others? today i would like to recognize an exceptional minnesota organization that has become known as a national model for excellence in mentoring and service. it's the mentoring partnership, who works with hundreds of minnesotan organizations to pair up mentors with men tees and help strengthen relationships and build stronger demuents. every child deserves a mentor -- communities. every child deserves a mentor. the number one indicator of success for a child is a good relationship with a caring

adult. they provide care and support, advice and words of encouragement. dr. king often spoke of his mentors and likewise became one himself to many americans. let's use this day of celebration on martin luther king day and national mentoring month as an opportunity to become a mentor or simply thank those who may have served as a mentor to yourself. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? does the gentleman seek unanimous consent? the gentleman from dn ised for one minute. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. we just fin innered the read -- finished the reading of the constitution. that's fine. it's a majestic document. it's never bad to read. it but it's one thing to read it and another thing to really understand it. to understand it you have to understand the court decisions and how the courts have interpreted the constitution. the courts have recognized the constitution as a living, evolving document and that it's not perfect. congress had to pass an amendment to formally abolish slavery and it took the supreme court and the board of

education vs. brown case to apolish jim crow, the tell-child of slavery. and a great stain on this country's history. thanks to roe v. wade, women have a fundamental right to make decisions about their own bodies, a right that continues to be threatened by this congress. and while the constitution grants great freedoms, the courts recognize that they come with reasonable limitations. the first amendment gives us freedom of speech but doesn't allow us to yell fire in a theater. and the second amendment, while it gives you the right to bear arms, has limitations as well. you can't carry a gun in an airplane or in a courtroom. and we need to remember that. so just reading the constitution is one thing but understanding is another. i hope we'll understand it and live it and see that we have a more perfect union. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from oregon is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm here today to share with my

colleagues yesterday's exciting announcement of the first utility-scale grid-connected wave energy test site in the united states which i'm proud to say is going to occur in my district, newport, oregon. mr. schrader: the northwest national marine energy center based at oregon state university will be constructing the marine center to test energy generation potential and environmental impacts that these wave energy devices. it was established in 2008 as a partnership between oregon state and the university of washington and is one of only three u.s. democratic of energy supported marine renewable energy centers. in addition to the department of energy, this work is supported by my state of oregon, the wave energy trust and other private and public agencies. selection of newport as the site will not only benefit the community of newport but frankly the entire oregon coast and will set a course for oregon and the nation to be one step closer to energy independence. i'm also proud of oregon state

university, their continued leadership in this area. i'd be remiss if i didn't give a shout out to the incredible work done by belinda and yvette and all the faculty and students in the wave energy department at o.s.u. their tireless efforts are the reason we're able to celebrate this achievement today and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentlelady from texas is recognized for one minute. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. the 113th congress will not only need to work to further strengthen our country's economic well-being, we will also need to find solutions to make sure that all americans are treated farrell and equally. that's why it's critical that congress pass the violence against women act re-authorization. since its inception, this act has always been bipartisan. last april the senate passed a

strong bipartisan re-authorization bill. unfortunately the measure failed in the house, but it must pass in the 113th congress. the safety and security of american women should never be politicalized and never has been so in the past. it is my hope that we can put the politics of the last election aside and get down to the business of legislating policy for the american people. we must reaffirm our commitment that women in the united states are offered all necessary legal protections. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? -- from illinois seek recognition? without objection, the gentlelady from yim is recognized for one minute -- from illinois is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to

recognize the southern illinois coal industry which had a record year last year, the best in decades. southern illinois is blessed with abundant natural resources like coal that provide good jobs and support our middle class. i'm proud to say that illinois is a leader in coal production and outpaced every other state in 2012. bucking national trends, illinois mines produced more than 40 million tons of coal in 2012. the most since 1995. this is in large part due to southern illinois mines and a talented and dedicated work force. folks in my district are worried about jobs. they want to have faith in the southern illinois way of life. mr. enyart: our coal industry in southern illinois has potential and judging by the record-setting production last year, we're well on our way to power good jobs and address energy needs. i look forward to working with my colleagues to focus on good jobs and support southern illinois workers and coal. mr. speaker, i yield back the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from connecticut is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. courtney: always prepared. that is the motto of the coast guard academy which is located in new london, connecticut, which on october 29 was hit by 85-mile-per-hour winds and high tide at the height of hurricane sandy. it covered the entire lower half of the campus, wiped out their sailing center, which is the center that cadets must train on for four years as part of the core mission of the coast guard academy, to enhance and focus on their maritime skills. and that is part of the submission by the coast guard for relief in the hurricane sandy bill which we are going to debate and vote on shortly. unfortunately the rogers-bass bill cut the coast guard's money in half so that coast guard facilities in new jersey and new york, but also the coast guard training facility in new london, connecticut, which protects all of our coast

alomar time country is going to be damaged and affected. we must, a, pass the rule, b, pass the rogers amendment, but, c, most importantly pass the frelinghuysen amendment which will make sure that the coast guard academy in new london, connecticut, will be able to live up to its motto, all always prepared. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to adopt the entire package today for sandy relief. mr. palazzo: my district was devastated by the -- mr. pallone: my district was devastated by this hurricane. it's i think into the 10th week now since the storm occurred and really without this package passing today and then immediately going to the senate to be passed there as well and signed by the president, the whole effort to try to rebuild the shore in time for the summer season, the jobs, the tourism, the economy are related to that. would really be seriously

jeopardized. i would urge that the -- my colleagues adopt not only the initial base bill, the rogers amendment, but also the frelinghuysen amendment, the frelinghuysen amendment, which is the additional $33 billion, would let us basically do a lot of the shore protection, the beach replenishment, the dunes, the flood controls to prevent damage from a future storm. and also provide the community development block grants, the grants that there's a lot of flexibility for the towns so they can go back and basically give grants to homeowners as well as small businesses. mr. speaker, i have towns that are devastated. we need this bill now. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? does the gentleman seek unanimous consent? the gentleman is recognized, without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to introduce a bill to name the department of veterans affairs and the department of defense, joint clinic, to be constructed in

high district, the william -- in my district, the william h. gorly outpatient clinic, a joint v.a.-d.o.d. health care facility. the general was fond of championing his own special commandments. ist 10th golden rule was make a better army and corps for your sbordnants to inherit. in his 36 years of service, the general did just that. whether sharing m.r.e.'s in germany with private elvis presley, or serving at the pentagon on the staff of the joint chiefs alongside general colin powell, general gorly worked tirelessly to improve the lives of men and women in the united states military. mr. farr: in his retirement, the general vision was to build a health care center that would serve both the needs of active duty and retired military personnel. as we prepare to break ground at this new facility, it is only fitting that the joint clinic bear the name of the man

who inspired its creation. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourns today it adjourn to meet at 3:00 p.m. on friday, january 18, 2013. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, by direction of committee on rules, i call up house resolution 23 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 1, house resolution 23, resolved that at any time after the adoption of this resolution, the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill, h.r. 152, making supplemental

appropriations for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2013. and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on appropriations. after general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. it shall be in order to consider, as an original bill for the purpose of amendment, under the five-minute rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. all points of order against that amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. no amendment to that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in part b of the report of the committee on rules.

after disposition of such amendments, the chair shall put the question on the amendment in the nature of a substitute. section 2, if the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution is not adopted, the committee shall rise and report that it has come to no resolution on the bill. if the amendment in the nature of a substitute is adopted, the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as the original bill for the purpose of further amendment. no further amendment shall be in order except the amendments printed in part c of the report of the committee on rules. at the conclusion of consideration of the amendments printed in part c of the report of the committee on rules, the committee shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. . any member may demand a separate

any member may demand a separate vote in the house on any amendment adopted in the committee of the whole to the bill, to the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules, or to amendment number 1 printed in part c of the report of the committee on rules. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 3, each amendment printed in part band part c of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment except as specified in the report, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the

committee of the whole. all points of order against such amendments are waived. section 4, in the engrossment of h.r. 152, the clerk shall, a, add the text of h.r. 219, as passed by the house, as new matter at the end of h.r. 152, b, conform the title of h.r. 152 to reflect the addition of the text of h.r. 219, as passed by the house, to the engrossment, c, assign appropriate designations to provisions within the engrossment, and, d, conform cross-references and provisions for short titles within the engrossment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized for one hour. mr. cole: mr. speaker, for the purpose of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlelady from new york, ms. slaughter, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cole: all time yielded is tore ge date -- debate only. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cole: the committee on rules had the disasters relief appropriations act of 2013. the rule is a structured rule that allows the house to work its will and provide the appropriate number of aid. it allows for an up or down vote on the first $17 billion in aid along with an amendment by mr. mulvaney that would offset the costs. additionally, the rule allows the house to consider mr. frelinghuysen's amendment for an additional $33 billion. the rule also makes in order 11 other amendments. additionally, this rule directs the clerk of the house to add h.r. 219, a bill to improve and streamline disaster assistance for hurricane sandy, which passed the house yesterday by a vote of 403-0, as a new matter

at the end of h.r. 152. mr. speaker, as i review the rule and the underlying legislation, my own opinion is shaped by a variety of facts. first, there's no question in a an enormous disaster has taken place and hit the northern portion of the united states, and the dimensions of that disaster are truly extraordinary. there's a lot of different estimates that are floating around by how much. one is as high as $85 billion, and that doesn't begin to calculate the human suffering in enormous to the -- in addition to the enormous financial cost. there is a financial responsibility to act in this case. we always acted after disasters. we acted quickly after hurricane katrina, after the oklahoma city bombing, after the horror of 9/11 and countless other instances where a federal response was in order . we quickly moved to that responsibility, and we need to do so again in this case. third, frankly and i think this

is too often overlooked in this discussion, we have a national interest in getting this region its feet as quickly as possible. not only because it's the right thing to do, and it certainly is that, but because it's the smart thing to do. over 13% of our citizens lived in the four most affected states that were damaged by hurricane sandy, and collectively they produce over 17% of the wealth of this country. having that area operational and prosperous is critical to the prosperity of the entire country. as an american and as an oklahoman, i know that my state has often benefited from federal disaster relief in the past. i think of the oklahoma city bombing in particular where i served as secretary of state and chiefly ason to the federal government and know firsthand how critical it is and helpful it is to have the resources of the federal government at hand when you're dealing with an unanticipated disaster.

again, pretty unusual in my state to go through a year without a tornado disaster. it's pretty unusual to go through a year without a drought disaster. each time we've come and asked for help from the federal government. each time we received that help. undoubtedly we will be doing that again in the near future. it will be hypocritical in my view to do -- fail to do for people in the affected region what i and i know many others have routinely asked for our own regions. i do think, as i look forward, we should do a better job in budgeting for disasters. and frankly we've taken steps in that direction. to the credit of this body and the executive branch under the budget control act, we fuelly set aside money for disaster relief. had we not had the disaster of hurricane sandy we would have actually finished the year with a surplus in that account. this disaster, though, was so large and so sweeping that it used all that surplus and still

demands more. so going forward, i hope we can look at different mechanisms to budget in a more responsible and consistent manner. however, not allow whatever shortcomings in the mechanisms of disaster relief to stand by and allow americans to suffer while we sort all that through. we have never done that in the past during a disaster. we certainly shouldn't do so now. in closing, i want to admit a personal debt to the frelinghuysen family. i owe them a great deal. almost 183 years ago today in april, actually, of 1830, one of rodney frelinghuysen's distinguished forbearers, theodore frelinghuysen, rose on the floor of the senate to protest indian removal. removal of my tribe from mississippi and many other tribes to what's now oklahoma,

and he held the floor for three days defending the people that had no right to vote, had no ability to defend themselves and trying valiantly to make sure they were allowed to retain their homeland and retain their identity and their rights. he wasn't successful in that fight, but he fought it nonetheless. frankly, it would be incredibly ungrateful for me now -- at the time of his people's greatest need to return the favor. i urge the passage of the rule. i urge the passage of the rogers amendment. i urge the passage of the rogers bill. i urge the passage of the frelinghuysen amendment to that bill. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: good afternoon, mr. speaker, and i thank the gentleman for yielding me the customary 30 minutes and i yield myself such time as i may consume. i really appreciate the words of my colleague.

we're very happy last night at the rules committee that all members of the rules committee recognized that this is america in need. fascinating about the story, and knowing rodney frelinghuysen, no one could be surprised by the actions of his ancestor. of course we all apologize to what happened to you. that should not have happened to your ancestors. but throughout the modern history, the united states congress has always responded swiftly to help victims of national disasters. it is today 78 days since hurricane sandy absolutely devastated the northeast. we've never hesitated as americans because we know all of us are in it together, and whenever any american hurt, we all hurt. whenever is devastated by hurricanes, tornados, we all feel it our duty to respond. when sand left people without power for weeks, americans helped the victims of sandy

just as they had helped the victims of hurricane katrina and victims of the joplin tornado. no matter the generosity of our nation's people, there is no replacement for a swift and well organized federal response. for military grade trucks, helicopters and supply planes to federally backed small business loans, our federal government is vital, absolutely vital to rebuilding the effort. and that's why we were so sad, all of us from the northeast, that it took so long for the house to respond. the senate, as you know, acted upon a bill shortly after sandy occurred to pass a comprehensive aid package, but there was nothing done in this house for months. this is again why this congress responded to hurricane katrina in 10 days. as i pointed out, it's been 79 for sandy. when the majority did act, they passed a partial aid package that could be described as a starting point at best.

while we appreciate that we are taking action to help sandy victims, the piecemeal approach has hurt our disaster response effort. without knowing whether more aid is absolutely going to come, the governors and the mayors can't sign contracts with construction companies, can't complete their plans and cannot prioritize repair efforts and provide effective aid. it simply does not do to give out money in traunches without a guarantee of the actual money needed to be coming. in addition, the majority's demand any federal aid including offsets has endangered the aid from getting in the hands of those who need it. but yesterday the rules committee was presented with almost 100 amendments for inclusion in today's bill. more than 40 of those 100 amendments proposed to cut, to hinder and to offset the aid that's contained in today's bill. many amendments had extreme and ideological proposals that

should have never been considered for inclusion in a disaster aid bill. mr. speaker, it is now entering the cold part of winter, and there are families up and down the eastern seaboard who still are homeless while thousands more are still working to get back on their feet and many small businesses and restaurants have been forced to close because the slowness of aid. meanwhile, important institutions such as the n.y.u. hospital in new york city, struggle to repair the flood damage and countless restaurants, as i said, that have been forced to close. after being battered and bruised by a natural disaster, the victims of sandy are now at the mercy of the house of representatives. i urge my colleagues to show fundamental humanity, pass the bill today. it does not include unnecessary amendments that are little more than political ransom for the majority. it's time the chamber passes a bill that can and will be signed into law and gives the victims of sandy the help they need to rebuild, and i reserve

the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. cole: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the distinguished member from new york, former chairman of the homeland security committee and one of the most distinguished members of this body, mr. king. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. mr. king: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of the rule and equally strong support of the underlying legislation, particularly the frelinghuysen amendment, which is so vital to the people of new york, new jersey, connecticut and especially my area on long island. to put this in perspective, there are 305,000 homes in new york damaged. 2.2 million people lost their power. that's more than the population of 15 states. that's 2.2 million people that lost their power. in my county, 95,000 buildings were damaged, more than 38,000, more -- had more than 50% damage.

$6 billion in recovery costs. that's $6.1 billion for one county. in suffolk county, under the county executive, $1.8 billion in recovery costs. this is almost $8 billion in recovery costs. now, i was here in 2005 for katrina. in fact, i've become chairman of the homeland security committee just several weeks after katrina. within days of being chairman, i went to louisiana with ranking member thompson and to mississippi, congressman reichert was with me as well. that was less than three weeks after katrina. 10 days before that, the house of representatives had passed two appropriations bills totaling $63 billion. the first appropriations bill was introduced, passed on a voice vote, passed unanimous by the senate and -- unanimously by the senate and signed by the president. four days after that, another

bill came up for the balance of the $63 billion by which passed bit house by 4410-11, passed the house and signed by the president. governor christie, mayor bloomberg, they had the most detailed accounting and it took them about 30 days to get that in. the white house held that for several weeks. they went through it. that was their prerogative. the senate voted it before christmas. i wish it passed our house -- mr. cole: i yield the gentleman an additional minute. mr. king: the fact is it didn't. that is behind us. right now we are standing together as one in a bipartisan show of support. the time for recrim nations is over. let's stand together as americans and let's give the aid to the people who need it because in my district alone and my community, people are homeless, people are cold, people are without food. this is a serious, serious matter. we have to address, we have to do it as quickly as possible. i'm proud to stand here today

with all of us united. now, maybe the divisions in the vote, but all of us are committed to getting this done. i want to thank the gentleman from oklahoma, thank the chairman of the rules committee, mr. sessions, for the great job they've done in bringing it here with a fair rule and allow for an up and down vote. i urge support of the rogers bill and the accompanying frelinghuysen amendment. absolutely essential to the people of our region and most important, essential to the people of our country. i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentlewoman from connecticut, a member of the committee on appropriations, ms. delauro. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. ms. delauro: i rise to express my strong support for this long overdue, this much-immediated -- much-needed $51 million in disaster relief. sandy was one of the most severe storms to hit

connecticut in our history. we are asking, we are pleading and we shouldn't have to beg for money for the northeast. to be able to survive this tragedy that hit us. we need to make available the disaster aid. families in the northeast need to recover, repair from superstorm sandy. just as we have in the past for other disasters across the country. this is one of the central responsibilities of this institution, to act on behalf of the american people after a natural disaster. i hope that we make sure that all the states affected by this storm are eligible to receive community development block grant funding, vital aid for places like milford, connecticut, which saw hundreds of homes wiped out by the storm, help them to fully recover. i also urge the defeat of an amendment that cuts funding for the rebuilding of sea walls and research buildings at the stewart-mckinnie national

wildlife refuge in connecticut. i might remind my colleague from louisiana that between rita, wilma and katrina, this institution appropriated $133.9 billion in disaster relief. the families affected by sandy are in their our of need. they have waited far too long for this institution to act. i urge all my colleagues to support this disaster aid funding, to help the northeast rebuild. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentlelady from new york reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. coal coal thank you, mr. speaker. i -- mr. cole: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield my friend from california, one of the most consistent and thoughtful conservatives in the house, mr. mcclintock, two minutes. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, this rule brings us a spending package of more than $50 billion that's supposed to be for emergency repairs in the wake of hurricane sandy.

that averages about $450 from every household in america. these families have a right to expect that this money will be used for genuine emergency relief. but it's not. according to the congressional budget office, more than 90% of this money won't even be spent this year. that's not emergency relief. $16 billion is to quinn it uple the size of the community development block grant program. that's the slush fund that pays for such projects as doggy daycare centers and it doesn't even have to be spent in the hurricane area. $2 billion is for highway repair anywhere in the country, including up to $20 million each for guam, american samoa and the mariana islands that aren't even in the same ocean as hurricane sandy. i offered amendments to restrict funding to emergency relief for this year. future year expenditures should be included in the normal appropriations process where they can be given scrutiny and

evaluated in relation to all the other demands on spending. these amendments were refused. worse, this rule overrides the house rules requiring spending offsets against unauthorized appropriations and most telling of all, against mixing nonemergency funding in an emergency bill. a tragedy like hurricane sandy shouldn't be used as an excuse for a grab-bag of spending, having nothing to do with emergency relief. at the rules committee hearing i was told, well, you have to understand that's just the way things are done around here. mr. speaker, republicans were supposed to change the way things were done around here. clearly we have not. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. pallone: thank you, mr.

speaker. mr. speaker, i want to respond to my republican colleague who just spoke and i respect him tremendously. but i want him and everyone to understand that this really is emergency relief that we're talking about. i want to give you some examples from my district. for example, he talked about the community development block grant. i have a town like sea bright, new jersey, where the majority, all actually but two businesses in the business district right now are not operating. and the problem is that often times their flood insurance doesn't cover the damage and even the money coming from fema, which is probably only for some type of loan fund, doesn't cover it. so the community development block grant in sea bright will be used to help those businesses come back. it will be grants to the businesses, grants to the homeowners so they can rebuild. and the same is true of the army corps of engineer prongs. we need the rogers bill -- projects. we need the rogers bill amendment. we also need the frelinghuysen amendment because the frelinghuysen amendment has all the army corps projects as well as the community development

block grants and those army corps projects basically let us put back the beaches, put back the dunes, put back the flood control devices so that we don't have another storm in the future, which could happen at any moment, that would destroy the towns again and wreck even more of our businesses or our homes. also, the money that's in the $17 million initially, that's the public assistance money that allows us to rebuild our boardwalks, bring back our tourism. we can't delay any longer because if we don't get our tourism industry back in place, our businesses, our homes, our boardwalks, our infrastructure back in place by memorial day, then the jobs and the economies that are linked to tourism will be gone. we need in entire package. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. cole: thank you, mr. speaker. i recognize for two minutes my good friend from new jersey, mr. smith, one of the most consistent and distinguished defenders of human rights in congress. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. smith: i thank my good

friend for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in support of the rule. when emergencies strike, large or small, americans can always be counted on to assist and support the victims. at our core we are a nation of good samaritans. after superstorm sandy came ashore in new jersey, and devastated the region, first responders courageously rescued people trapped in homes and cars, often with minimal regard for their own personal welfare, safety and well-being. everyone rallied around the clock. the governor, chris christie, emergency management personnel, the police and fire, lected officials, -- elected officials. our local mayors, they were like nfl quarterbacks running the plays, making calls, day bidet, hour by hour. faith-based organizations help feed and clothe and shelter, private voluntary organizations were on the scene in droves. our neighbors to the northwest, north and south poored -- poured in the state to help

restore power and remove fallen trees. words are inadequate to convey my, our appreciation. within weeks, however, the emergency phase seamless lima trick later into the recovery phase. now the big question is this. will the feds have our backs as we striving to recover? it is an absolutely arduous process. i believe that we will. any delay in appropriating sufficient funds will likely stall a comprehensive and robust recovery. sandy was the most destructive storm ever in our region and arguably the second or third most costly in america's history. the governor's office estimated the damage, you might say the loan, to be $36.9 billion. homes like this one, 22,000 homes like this one completely and totally destroyed. another 324,000 homes damaged. 41,000 people can't return to

their homes. they're still not fixed. businesses also took it on the chin. 19,000 new jersey businesses suffered damage. mr. cole: i yield the gentleman an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: 19,000 new jersey businesses suffered a damage of a quarter of a million dollars or more. 3/4 of new jersey businesses were hit by sandy. one estimate put the small business loss at $8.3 billion. no wonder 100,000 storm-related unemployment claims have been filed. the governor's office pointed out that public facilities an infrastructure sustained losses of some $7 billion. boardwalks were snapped like toothpicks. and beaches have erode and some radically recon figured. significantly more funds are needed if new jersey and our good friend in new york and other sandy-impacted areas are to recover. the frelinghuysen amendment is absolutely crucial. we are not crying wolf here, i say to my colleagues. there are huge gaps, people who

have filed for insurance claims and find insurance covered only this much. how do they ever recover? same goes for the infrastructure in new jersey. 860,000 people every single day use new jersey transit. that infrastructure has been demolished. locomotives, cars, tracks, as well as stations. we need this money and we need it now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield one minute to the gentleman from, no, my new colleague -- from new york, my new colleague. >> on october 29, when superstorm sandy struck with devastating frosty, at home people died. businesses and homes were destroyed. families were torn apart. in times of disaster, the american people have come to expect that congress will respond with swiftness and compassion. but the victims of superstorm andy have been forced to languish in agony and languish

in uncertainty. mr. jeffries: our response has been characterized by delay of postponement. it's unacceptable given the nature of the disaster that people at home have experienced. we have defaulted on our obligation to provide assistance to americans in need. we're a day late and a dollar short. in fact, we're 78 days late and $531 -- $51 billion short. new york, one of the original 13 colonies, has given much to the republic over the last 236 years. our sons an our daughters have died -- and our daughters have died in each and every war. f.d.r., tremendous statesman, has helped us get through the great depression and we regularly give more to the government than we get back in return. i urge a yes vote on the entire package. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. cole: i reserve the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma

reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from new york, my colleague, mr. meeks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. meeks: i thank the ranking member from the rules committee. i stand here today as we deal with an american issue. it's an issue that is unique to america. it's an issue that -- where american people are saying we need help. an issue where the american people say we want hope. i had the opportunity to look at webster's dictionary to see what hope meant. and it said hope means to cherish a desire with anticipation. hope means to trust, hope means to except with confidence. our people in new york, connecticut and new jersey have hope today. hope that their members of congress and members of congress from all across this

great land will come together and help them. hope that the members of congress will do like their people and their various states, because the hope that came to many of the individuals that were victimized by this storm came from people from all over this country. whether you come from the east or the west, the north or the south. american people came to help. some here today for john cory, a man in our community who works hard, a civic leader. i'm here for josephine and gary robinson, a small business owner of goody's restaurant. i'm here today for jo ann schapiro. i'm here today for peter courtless, a homeowner whose entire home was damaged and had to leave. i'm here for julia and luke simon who have lost everything and want to know a better hope for tomorrow. i'm here today for barbara and richard rampy who had so move away fromir